Comic-Con attendees connect over shared fandom

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

SAN DIEGO – Comic-Con attendees flooded the Gaslamp District Thursday night, with many of the more elaborate cosplayers attracting small crowds of people asking for selfies.

Among them was Zack Shafer, who told FOX 5 he spent about nine months creating his Iron Man costume.

“For me, this is a place to really connect about a character and be told that I’m loved 3,000 over and over,” said Shafer, referring to an emotional line from “Avengers: Endgame.”

Another crowd-pleaser was a young girl named Amelia who came dressed up as a rebel pilot from “Star Wars.”

“My daddy made it for me,” she said as her dad stood off to the side smiling. He had his hands full pulling Amelia’s little brother in a wagon made up to look like an AT-AT walker from “The Empire Strikes Back.” The family traveled slowly through the crowds, stopping often to allow onlookers to take pictures and videos.

“’Star Wars’ is kinda cool,” said Amelia, adding that one of her favorite characters is Darth Vader.

For some attendees Comic-Con serves as an annual reunion for friends who live across different states.

“These are my buddies,” said Alyssa, who dressed up as Robin, a new “Stranger Things” character introduced in season three. Her group consisted of a Superman, Wolverine and Thor. Alyssa said she sees these friends every year at Comic-Con.

Others use the conference to form new friendships over shared fandom.

“It’s a great way to celebrate the fandom that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” Shafer said.

It's not every day you can take a selfie with bearded Superman, Robin from Stranger Things 3, Thor, and Wolverine all at the same time. 🙌🏼#SDCCpic.twitter.com/J0HfNytEUB